Read the article “The Night Hunters” before answering Numbers 1 through

10. The Night Hunters by Rob Criswell

They’re an amazing bunch. One is known as the “Tiger of the Skies,” another
can catch a mouse on a barn floor in total darkness, and the call of a third is
often imitated by turkey hunters trying to locate an elusive gobbler. They’re
Pennsylvania’s owls—night hunters par excellence. Predators without peer,
owls are splendidly adapted to life in the darkness. Fringes on the leading
and trailing edges of the outer flight feathers act as mufflers, and long, soft
“hairs” on the upper wing surfaces eliminate noises that would be caused by
feathers rubbing against one another while the wings are in use. The result is
silent flight, ensuring that hapless victims will not detect the sky-borne
raider, and that the owl can better hear prey movements. While some owls
have “ear tufts” and others do not, all have incredible hearing ability. These
tufts are merely display feathers—the real ears are located behind the eyes
on the sides of the head and covered by feathers of the facial disk. When an
owl hears a noise, it is able to pinpoint its direction because the sound does
not strike both ears at precisely the same time. The owl turns its head until
the sound registers in both ears simultaneously; it then knows dinner is
directly in front of it. An owl can detect left/right sound differences as small
as 30 millionths of a second. Perhaps the most obvious features of owl
anatomy are the eyes, which account for up to five percent of the bird’s body
weight depending on species. The forward-facing position of the eyes lends
the owl its “wise” appearance, but more importantly, it affords the bird
binocular vision, which allows it to judge distances as humans do. The eyes
of owls are so large they cannot move, and the bird must move its entire
head to change its field of view. However, the bird makes up for this
deficiency with the ability to turn its head up to 270 degrees in either
direction (but not, as some rumors insist, in a full circle). The large retina of
an owl’s eye makes it extremely efficient at sighting moving objects in dim
light. In spite of this ability, owls can also see well during daylight hours and
are not blinded by strong light as some believe. There are approximately 215
species of owls worldwide. They are divided into two families— the
Tytonidae, which includes barn owls and their close relatives, and the
Strigidae, which includes the great horned owl and all other species. Great
Horned Owl In 1890, ornithologist Ernest Thompson Seton expressed his
opinion of the great horned owl: “their untamed ferocity . . .; their
magnificent bearing; their objection to carrion,1 and strictly carnivorous
tastes—would make me rank these winged tigers among the most
pronounced and savage of the birds of prey.”
Its prowess as a predator has made this bird one of the most maligned and
despised in our state’s history. Long blamed for decimating game
populations, it has survived bounties and habitat destruction and remains an
important part of our bird fauna today. Although game species appear in its
diet, the great horned prefers smaller mammals and is the only predator that
regularly dines on skunks. It is fearless, though, and will sometimes attack
mink, woodchucks, domestic cats, and even porcupines. At 18–25 inches in
height and up to three pounds, it is our largest owl. It is easily recognized by
its size and “horns”—two-inch long ear tufts. It is a habitat generalist,
occupying deep forest and open areas alike. It generally lays its eggs from
January to early March, utilizing the nests of raptors, crows, herons, and on
rare occasions even eagles. The great horned is the classic “hoot owl.” Its
call is a mellow “Hoo, Hoo-Hoo, Hoo, Hoo.” Screech Owl At 7–10 inches, the
screech owl is the smallest of Pennsylvania’s resident owls bearing ear tufts.
This bird comes in two phases—red and gray, and a nest may contain all
young of either color, or one or more of both. This phenomenon, known as
“dichromatism,” is exhibited regardless of sex or age. Screech owls reside in
many different habitat types, including woodlands, old orchards, parks, and
even tree-lined streets. It is a cavity nester, utilizing natural holes in trees,
nests excavated by woodpeckers, and even deeper crevices. They
sometimes take advantage of artificial boxes erected for woodpeckers,
kestrels, and wood ducks. This owl is a strictly nocturnal hunter. Its 22-inch
wingspan allows it to hunt swiftly over fields and other openings, catching
large insects, small birds, mice, voles, and other small mammals. In some
areas, screech owls even feed on crayfish regularly. Roger Tory Peterson
described the screech owl’s call as “a mournful whinny, or wail.”
Interestingly, the bird practically never utters a sound that can be described
as a “screech.” The most frequent call is a tremulous series of notes that
descend the musical scale. Long-Eared Owl The long-eared is our most
mysterious owl. Its secretive habits, silence, and apparently low numbers
make it extremely difficult to study. During the seven-year Pennsylvania
Breeding Bird Atlas Project, this bird was confirmed to nest at only six
locations during the period 1983–89. This owl is midway in size between the
screech and great horned and grows to 16 inches and 10–11 ounces, with a
40-inch wingspan. Its “ears” appear to be more closely spaced than the
other two species and its wings longer, allowing it to glide and hover while
hunting and to maneuver easily in brushy habitat. Its diet consists mainly of
small mammals, one report noting that “probably close to 80 or 90 percent
consists of injurious rodents.” Long-eared owls occur in mixed woodlands
and pine plantations with fields nearby. They nest in early spring, usurping
vacant hawk and crow nests. During daylight hours, they remain “frozen” on
a branch close to a tree trunk, and in winter months colonial roosts are
sometimes used. On the rare occasions when it vocalizes, the long-eared
emits a low, musical “Hoo-hoo-Hoo” that may sound like the cooing of a
mourning dove. Barred Owl The barred owl may be the turkey hunter’s best
friend. Frequently its call, described as “Who cooks for you; who cooks for
you-all?” evokes a response from a nearby gobbler during the spring.
Hunters imitate the call, which is sometimes heard during daylight hours,
while attempting to locate their quarry at sunrise. This bird is easily
distinguished from our other owls by its large size—to 17–24 inches and two
pounds, with a 44-inch wingspan, rounded head, and brown eyes. Barred
owls prefer moist woods and bottomlands in larger forested tracts, and
although this type of habitat has been dramatically reduced over much of
the state, these birds are still fairly common. This owl is a cavity nester, and
because of its size, at least some mature trees are a necessary component
of its territory.

Barn Owl Where it occurs, the barn owl may be considered the “farmer’s
best friend,” dining from a menu consisting almost exclusively of voles,
shrews, mice, and rats. One study concluded that, during nighttime hours,
adult barn owls with nestlings decimated rodents at the rate of one every
four minutes. With ears asymmetrically placed to provide hearing even more
acute than many of its relatives, locating and catching its prey in total
darkness is “business as usual” for this nocturnal raider. Also known as
“monkey-faced owl,” “white owl,” and “golden owl,” this bird is easily
identified by its light color and white, heart-shaped face. It grows 14–20
inches and weighs less than two pounds. Barn owls' nest in man-made
structures— barns, silos, abandoned buildings, churches, and nest boxes,
and occasionally in hollow trees and caves. Their domain must include
grasslands and agricultural fields and provide plenty of rodents. In a classic
example of prey controlling the predator, barn owl nesting initiations and
successes have been linked to increases in vole populations.

Now answer Numbers 1 through 10

Base your answers on the article “The Night Hunters.”

1 The purpose of the opening paragraph of the article is most likely to

B. arouse readers’ interest in a unique group of birds.

C. pose an issue to readers that the article will address.

D. encourage readers’ efforts to preserve threatened species.

2 Read these sentences from the article. Predators without peer, owls are
splendidly adapted to life in the darkness. * * * Its prowess as a predator has
made this bird one of the most maligned and despised in our state’s history.
Which literary technique does the author use in these sentences?

F. imagery, portraying owls as skillful predators

G. personification, assigning to owls the human trait of adapting

H. hyperbole, exaggerating the status of owls among their predators

I. alliteration, repeating a sound to emphasize the superiority of owls

3 According to the article, what is one result of owls’ eyes being fixed in their
sockets?

A. frequent head movement

B. enhanced binocular vision

C. lower overall body weight

D. greater distance perception

4 In the article, the term dichromatism is used to describe two

F. species of owls.

G. colors of a species.

H. ages between phases.

I. sexes within a family.

A. barn owl

B. barred owl

C. screech owl

D. great horned owl

6 Which statements best describes the typical nesting behavior of all the
owls featured in the article?

F. They construct their nests in open fields.

G. They evict birds and take over their nests.

H. They utilize natural cavities in trees for nesting.

I. They find nesting places rather than construct them.

7 According to the article, all of the following contribute to the owl’s

A. its ability to see well even in dim light.

B. its ability to mimic the calls of other species.

C. its ability to fly without making much noise.

D. its ability to detect and locate the slightest sounds.

8 According to the article, which of the owls’ names is the most misleading?

F. the screech owls, because its call rarely approximates a screech

G. The barn owls, because its domain must include fields and grasslands

H. the great horned owls, because its horns are actually feathered ear tufts

I. The long-eared owls, because its real ears are behind its eyes and covered
by feathers
9 Which of the following best describes the organization of this article?

A. information presented in chronological order

B. information presented in order of its importance

C. general information followed by facts specific to each species

D. descriptive information followed by an explanation of the nesting

10 According to the article, which two owls are most different in size?

F. long-eared owl and barn owl

G. screech owl and long-eared owl

H. great horned owl and barred owl

I. screech owl and great horned owl